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Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Well it wasn't a white Christmas in 2011 for us here in Forest, but December 27th brought down a bit of the fluffy stuff; wet and fluffy that is. After a bit of shopping in the morning and polishing off left overs in front of the TV in the afternoon, we thought we really better get outside for a walk!

It was a gorgeous night and big fluffy wet flakes were gently falling and we wanted to see how Libby would react in the snow. Needless to say - she Loved it! My camera couldn't keep up with the speed of her excitement, but the following pictures will give you a bit of an idea of how much she enjoyed it. I can't wait until the snow is a 'dryer' and a little deeper - then I hope to get some really good snapshots of her.

Getting ready to head out for our walk.

I told you the flakes were big !

I am surprised that the camera even
captured this shot as clear as it is.
You can tell by how her feet are positioned how fast
she's flying through the snow!

She's loving this!

She kept stopping to get the snow balls off her feet.
She'll be wishing she wore the puppy boots I bought her for Christmas.

Well the snow was thick and wet, but very pretty against the night sky. And just watching Libby have so much fun was so worth it.

Holly called and said she made it home ok, but it wasn't a pleasant 2.5 hour drive. She's thinking that snow tires are a good idea after all and I'm hoping it's clear for the morning commute back to work tomorrow. The only really good thing about going back to work tomorrow is that I won't be tempted to sit and each the left over Christmas cookies all day. (Well - that - and the paycheck!)

Arriving at work this week, on my last day before my vacation, I was greeted with a wonderful surprise at my desk. I knew right away it was from my friend Lori. We share a passion for baking, so we can totally relate to the intricate details we apply to our baked goods and the time we take to make those special treats for our loved ones. You either love making this special effort, or you don't. Either way everybody loves to eat them. So in the end, we all win! Tomorrow, I'll be working on my famous &*$%@$*%%&Cookies !!

Lori and I have spent many lunch hours discussing recipes and sharing cookie ideas and she explained to me once how she has her 'special' tweezers just for applying her decorations on her cookies. She said, "People think I'm crazy" but I totally get where she is coming from. Like a guy has his tools in his shed, the gals have their 'gadgets' in the kitchen. As I opened the first bag, I truly appreciated this gift even more.

Shortbread cookies like I've never seen before!Don't you just Love the little plate?
A gift from Jody a few years ago.

Now, just so you don't think this is a large plate
or that the decorations are large,
I placed tweezers on the plate
to show how intricate this work is.
(Don't worry, they were cleaned)

ohhhhh - I can smell the peanut butter and chocolate.
I Love the little holly leaves - isn't it amazing how something so tiny can add so much!

Oh, the smell of the chocolate is driving me crazy.
I should have eaten breakfast before doing a photo shoot.

Oh my goodness. This plate is filled with Cake Pops, and get this - cream cheese, chocolate chips and crumbled cake rolled into balls and dipped in chocolate. It's like eating chocolate covered cookie dough. Don't be silly, Yes, of course I tasted one

Ohhhh... now it's yummy cereal, peanuts and chocolate covered cluster thingie's. That's the name right Lori?
You didn't happen to use bran cereal did you -
'cause that's a really good way to hide fiber and justify eating the cookie at the same time.
I'm thinking I might have to hide those
homemade turtles from my kids though -
so don't anyone forward this post to them ok?

mmmm gingersnaps and fondant covered cherries

Nowthe hard question... do I want tea or cappuccino for breakfast, and dare I eat cookies for breakfast. Sure why not, it's Christmas and Lori went to all that work!

hmmmm tea or cappuchino? Note the snowflake on the cup. Another gift from Jody.
It's magnetic and you can wear it on
your winter scarf or whatever...
I choose to display it on my mug because it looks
festive and sparkly. Sparkle, Sparkle, Sparkle. It's all about the bling!

OK, now Bonnie - decide which cookie you want. OH, why make this difficult - the solution is staring you right in the face!

Have one of each silly.
Have the cappuccino for breakfast and call Diane over for tea this afternoon and pretend you are opening the cookies
for the first time. Problem solved.

Hang on: doorbell ..........

Crap! Busted! Diane just showed up for tea while I was in the middle of the photo shoot and about to sample goodies before I sit to actually eat them. Sampling is different than eating. There are no calories in sampling - But you can still get busted. I'm just sayin'.

Thanks again Lori for such a thoughtful and tasty gift. Not only do I get to enjoy them, you saved me some time with baking and I got to brag about you on my blog. You are a great friend.

Merry Christmas to each and everyone of our followers and their families. I hope you aren't too jealous of my generous and delicious gift, but if you happen to be in the neighbourhood anytime soon (and by soon I mean before they are all gone), you might want to pop in for a little treat.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

For some reason it took me longer to get in the mood to decorate for the holidays this year. Some winter/Christmas items didn't come out of the totes this time around, so compared to last year I'm keeping it simple.

Let's start with the mantle in the sitting room. I went with a softer, quieter look...

The tree, a little more subdued...

A few accents in the kitchen...

My Santa display in the family room...

I think this Santa has to be the most favourite thing I have ever stitched. It always hangs on the door to greet our guests...

To me a big part of the holiday season is having a great smelling house, so lots of candles and my new Scentsy warmer which I got as a Christmas gift this year... thanks Anita!

So even though the decorations are simpler this year, I know it won't take away from the real meaning of what this time of year is all about; spending time with family and friends. Just being together with the ones we love...

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Bonnie hosted our annual Christmas cross stitch meeting this past Wednesday evening. Tuesday night Anita, Jody and I received the following email from her. In the subject line it read: Cross Stitch - warning

Ladies, I know you will all say you don’t care… but seriously… I’m not fussing about my house.

I have vacuumed. But only because I broke a Christmas tree bulb.

I did clean out the cat box. Peee ewwww

I’ve rearranged the living room for Jody’s blanket party.

There will be food, but not of the Christmas theme.

And for goodness sakes, whatever you do – don’t’ open the fridge. Something might crawl out.

Your gifts are all wrapped, but not under the tree. I hope I can still remember where I put them before tomorrow night.

The stockings are Not hung, but the faux fire is ready.

I vacuumed the dust off the ceiling fan, just in case the fire makes Tracey too hot and we have to turn it on – don’t want to be showered by dust bunnies.

Oh, and the outdoor lights are hung – but don’t be surprised if they aren’t as festive as the neighbours.

Oh frig, I guess I could scrub the toilet.

One more sleep.

Now, as much as we all enjoy our monthly get togethers, December is always extra fun because there are gifts involved. Since there is only the 4 of us, we all buy something for the other 3 ladies. It doesn't necessarily have to be stitching related; we have no set $$ limit; and we don't always get the same thing for all 3 people.

So I grabbed all of my bags and headed out on foot over to Bonnie's house (she just lives around the corner from me). As I approached her block, I was met by all of the pretty lights twinkling in the the darkness...

What was Bonnie talking about in her email? She did a splendid job with her lights!

Oh wait... as I get closer, I realize that those areher neighbour's lights. As I step up onto her porch, I spot her festive light display...

I am the first person to arrive, so we say our hellos and Bonnie tells me to go to the back room and make myself comfortable.

There I find Sushi, our possessed friendly greeter waiting for the guests to arrive...

Oh no, here they are again; coming to invade my space.

Bonnie was true to her word - the fireplace was roaring...

Tracey didn't even have to shed any clothes!

Bonnie's presents weren't under the tree yet (but luckily she did find them before the end of the night)...

Bonnie's such a busy lady that she had to go with Plan B for her tree this year.

Anita was the next to arrive, so the 3 of us sat and chatted and relaxed while drinking hot spiced apple cider (yum!) while impatiently waiting for Jody to arrive. Where could she be? Sure enough, she had popped in for a visit to her brother's house to cuddle her 2 nephews (the newest one being just 2 months old... and grandson #8 for Jody's parents!) Since Jody lives out of town, this is quite a common occurrence when it's either Bonnie or I hosting a meeting and she has to come this way :^) Can you blame her??

So after filling our bellies with a delicious array of food, it was picture time. The photographer had arrived and we were ready to go. The sooner we got that done, the sooner we could get to the presents!!

Should we pose in front of the tree? You all saw it... it just wouldn't work, we would totally block it out. Let's go with her other tree instead :^) ...

Isn't it gorgeous??!!!

OK... how much are we paying this photographer??

Since I amgoing home with the photographer, he knows he'd better not leave until he gets a picture that we all like! ...

There... now that's better! Thanks Paul!

For the gift opening portion of the post I have to apologize. In all of the excitement, there were basically only 2 pictures taken by me (maybe we should have had the photographer stick around longer!). I was with Bonnie when she bought Jody's gift, and we were very anxious to see her reaction...

Yep... that's what we expected. You see Jody loves Scottie dogs and eventually one day hopes to own a real one of her own. In the meantime this cookie jar will have to do!

Now when you read Bonnie's email at the beginning of this longgggg post, you probably wondered what Jody's blanket party was all about. Well, earlier in the week Jody asked for our assistance with tying the edge of a fleece blanket to be used to sit on at hockey games (all 3 of her boys play, so that's a lot of sitting!). Sure we all said; so Anita cut and we all tied 4 blankets well into the next am. At least with doing this (as opposed to stitching) there are no worries of having to "frog" as you simply can't make a mistake! Jody can now sit through all those games with a cozy, warm tush.

You really think you are going to do this with out my help? You know how I love blankets!

One thing we didn't want to forget, was to make a toast to our fellow Stitching Sisters (this is especially for you Jayne!) who were also together celebrating that same night, many miles away from us. It won't be long until the new year is here and we'll be counting down to our Stitching Retreat together in May!!

Cheers!! Merry Christmas to our Special Stitching Friends!!

We would also like to say "cheers" and the happiest of holidays to each and every one of you that take the time to stop by and visit our blog (and all of your lovely comments too...we really appreciate it!)

Contributors

About Us

Hello and welcome! We're Jody, Tracey, Bonnie and Anita, and we're so glad you stopped by our blog for a visit!

Our love of stitching is what brought our group together 20 years ago, but what we truly cherish is the amazing friendship that the 4 of us share; a bond which continues to grow stronger as the years go by.

As you read our blog, you will see it has a little bit of everything - hence the name, More Than Just Cross Stitchin'. We hope you'll come back again soon!

Charlie Brown

Growing up, I had a pet monkey named Charlie Brown. Actually, he belonged to my sister and he came to live with us in 1966. You were actually allowed to have monkeys as pets then and if you can beleive it, he was ordered from an ad in the back of a magazine. Charlie Brown was a squirrel monkey (just like the ones in the Telus commericials).

Everyone in school loved when it was my turn for 'show and tell'. You will see in some of the photos (if the slide show downloads for me...) that he used to wear diapers. Eventually, he learned how to take them off. We had a rope strung across the kitchen from end to the other. We kept a piece of papertowel on the floor at the end of one rope and that's where he did his business. His rope provided many hours of entertainment. At bedtime, if mom and dad were not home when it was bedtime, he would sit on his roap and cry out until they returned.

If I was crying, Dad would put him up to my face to lick away my tears. He would dangle from my hair and lick from one eye to the next. It alwyays made me stop crying. He would play outside and every once in awhile he would swing from tree to tree and end up down the street at the neighbours.

Often you would find the monkey lying in the cast iron pan on the stove. The pilot light from the gas stove provided him a warm and comfy spot. He would also sit on top of the lamp shade for warmth, and if you ever heard a 'pop' - you knew he peed on the lightbulb. It happens...

Charlie Brown used to sit on the wall phone.... until it rang. That was always funny. He brought many years of amusement to us all and I miss him and his antics.

Bonnie

Welcome to Jody's

It's a Dishcloth!

No... It's 2 Perfect Ones!

Anita's Chicken

Anita created this from looking at a picture from a magazine. No pattern. THAT girl !!!

Tracey working away with her crochet hooks she bought when she was in Grade 7 along with a beginner book. Her determination to learn by herself at such a young age is admiring.

Here is one of Tracey's projects on the go.

Anita's handy work

Warm toes

Warm hearts ... and warm toes!

Well since we are talking winter, let's talk about warm hearts ... and warm toes.

A few years ago at Christmas we had a gift exchange. Ironically, both Anita and myself had the exact same idea for a present. We always open our gift bags at the same time, and it was really hard for me to keep a straight face when I saw that Anita had had the same gift idea as me and while she explained that she thought slippers would be a good idea, that way we could carry them in our bag with us at all times. Anita had knit slipppers for everyone and made a little draw-string pouch, with our names embroidered on it, to keep the socks in.

Then they all opened my gift bag and we burst out laughing. I knew how much everyone loved snowmen, so I had stitched faces on white slippers and added a carrot button for the nose. Well we weren't finished with the laughter because I thought we should get a picture with our slippers on. So then we were all sitting on the floor trying to get different positions in order to get everyone in the picture at the same time. We tried sitting up against the wall and taking the picture of our toes all pointing up to the ceiling and then I said, nooooo - that will show the snowman's face upside down. Someone said... (and I won't say who...) "Good point, let's think of something else. What if we lay on our back with our feet in the air - you know... like if our feet were ON the ceiling"

Well then the faces would still be upside down wouldn't they. Spontanious Laughter.

We had to think of something else. It was decided that we would just stand toe to toe in a huddle and we would take the picture from above in order to get everyone in the picture. Sounded like a good plan right?

Well... not if you have a protruding belly and/or big boobs. After the inital light-headedness subsided from sucking in our bellies, we had to deal with the shadow from the boobs.

So we stood in our huddle, adjusting, wiggling and laughing with our arms around each other while we tried not to tip over. It was about that moment when Anita's daughter walked in on us, which of course added to the laughter when we saw the look on her face.

Finally the photo was taken and our toes are doubly warm.

Bonnie

Where Does the Time Go?

Heatwave July 21, 2011

Anita's Lucky Charm

Winter Storm December 12, 2010

The storm didn't stop this Bloomin' Rose

Happy Birthday Dad

Dad was born on Armistice Day - November 11, 1918. Shown here with his favourite show off 'Charlie Brown' the monkey.

The Feathered Nest

Quite some time ago when I was perusing the Dollarama, I came across the cutest autumn tea towel with a teddy bear dressed up like a scarecrow. It immediately reminded me of Jody and I thought 'I'm going to get that for her', and then I thought... why not get one for everybody? And so I did and it was a hit.

From that point on, it's no surprise to any of us if there just happens to be an occasional 'mini gift' exchange on Cross Stitch night. Once when Jody hosted in February, she gave us all a tiny picture frame with a 1" x 1" opening. I had no idea what to do with mine, but Tracey knew immediately. Because it was Valentines day, Tracey stitched a heart.

Mine sat for a good number of months before I could figure out what I could stitch in such a tiny area and not copy Tracey's idea. And then one day it hit me; Jody loves snowmen. I would do a snowman in the frame that Jody gave me. But.... do they make snowman patterns for less than 1" x 1"? I couldn't be bothered looking, so I winged it. And voila! A happy smiley snowman face. I think it took longer to write this posting than it did to stitch that happy face.

We'll have to get a picture of Tracey's heart posted after her renovations are complete as I expect it's packed away for now.